Authentication method and system

Abstract

A method for authenticating an object, comprising determining a physical dispersion pattern of a set of elements, determining a physical characteristic of the set of elements which is distinct from a physical characteristic producible by a transfer printing technology, determining a digital code associated with the object defining the physical dispersion pattern, and authenticating the object by verifying a correspondence of the digital code with the physical dispersion pattern, and verifying the physical characteristic.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to the fields of authentication, security, anti-counterfeiting, and cryptography.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The issues of authentication and counterfeit deterrence can be important in many contexts. Bills of currency, stock and bond certificates, credit cards, passports, bills of lading, as well as many other legal documents (e.g., deeds, wills, etc.) all must be reliably authentic to be useful. Authentication and avoidance of counterfeiting can also be important in many less obvious contexts. For example, improved verification / counterfeiting prevention mechanisms would be very useful in, for example, verifying the contents of shipping containers, quickly identifying individuals with particular health or criminal histories, etc. Counterfeit products are, by definition, unauthorized copies of a product, its packaging, labeling, and / or its logo(s). Attractive targets for counterfeiters are items with significant brand equ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0126]One aspect of the current technology exploits random (i.e., non-deterministic, meaning, to the accuracy of measurement, the metric of the characteristic is not predefined by the manufacturing procedure) patterns of distinctive and unique optical fluorescent fibers (or other optically readable materials), and provides a constantly “moving” and non-repeating target, drastically reducing, if not mathematically eliminating, the possibility of duplication. An algorithmically generated numeric value or code is then assigned and printed on to each article, appearing in close proximity to the random pattern that must correspond to the measured characteristics of the pattern.

[0232]It is a feature of the present invention that the aforementioned authentication system provides an off-line (self-) authentication device communicating batch authentication data to a remote central server system for a higher level of analysis, wherein different encryption codes are employed locally and centrally, in order to improve the resistance of the system to security compromise, wherein the remote central server system may optionally employ a complete database of substrate identifications and a set of associated objects, thus confirming that valid substrates have not been authenticated multiple times.

Problems solved by technology

Once the code is broken, however, i.e., a counterfeiter learns to duplicate a “signature,” this method loses value for authentication.

Nevertheless, to the extent that holograms are pre-set and deterministic they may also be duplicated.

Deterministic authentication mechanisms are inherently vulnerable to counterfeiting since the counterfeiter has a “fixed” target.

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